Bazalgette & The Great Stink of London
It’s the start of a new year and work is ramping up at the Bazalgette Mausoleum.
This fascinating Grade II listed mausoleum is the final resting place of Sir Joseph Bazalgette, the esteemed Victorian civil engineer responsible for development of London’s modern water system. He is joined by his wife, Maria, and five of their eleven children.
What makes this building even more interesting is the one previous occupant. John Anthony Rucker, who died in 1804, was the first and only member of his family to be interred in the mausoleum. The Bazalgette family purchased the mausoleum in 1886 when the rest of the churchyard was at full capacity.
Bazalgette & The Great Stink of London
In 2025, Habitats & Heritage were awarded £249,000 from the National Lottery Heritage Fund. We were able to secure this funding thanks to initial match-funding from the Rochester Bridge Trust and other generous private donations.
Bazalgette & The Great Stink of London is a conservation, research, outreach, and education project that will run until Spring 2027. With four dedicated staff members, we are excited to deliver this project and involve as many members of the public as possible.
Conservation
We are thrilled to be working with Giles Quarme Architects and Conisbee Structural Engineering to coordinate the conservation of the Bazalgette Mausoleum. The mausoleum is currently on Historic England’s Heritage At Risk Register at Priority A meaning that it needs urgent attention to prevent further decay.
The main structural issue is a section of the vaulted roof which has partially collapsed making it unsafe for visitors to go inside. Our other objectives are to improve the general condition and appearance of the monument including reinstating the lead lettering and iron railings.
We have been busy commissioning important surveys of the mausoleum so that we have as much information as possible to start the work on site. The conservation work is due to start later this year.
We recently had the mausoleum scanned to create an interactive 3D model. Take a look around!
Research
We are undertaking brand new research into the lives and legacies of the people inside the Bazalgette Mausoleum as well as the history of the monument itself.
We have hired several History Research Volunteers who are doing fantastic work delving into historical resources to help us build a detailed and nuanced understanding of the Bazalgettes, John Anthony Rucker, and the creation of the mausoleum.
John Anthony Rucker was a merchant, banker, and owner of Caribbean plantations which relied on the labour of enslaved Africans. We are committed to telling this story accurately and sensitively through high-quality research.
Education
Our educational programme is starting to be rolled out as we offer free assembly talks to local schools. We are focussing on the modern water system of bringing fresh drinking water into London and safely removing waste from the city. Petra, our Outreach & Education Officer, is in the process of building an interactive model to help visualise our water usage and the pressures faced by Bazalgette’s sewer system today. This model will be available for school workshops later this year.
If you are interested in booking Habitats & Heritage for an educational visit or public talk, contact us at hello@habitatsandheritage.org.uk.
Outreach
We are also conducting outreach around the Thames, looking at water quality and pollutants. We want to raise awareness about the pressures that are put on the wastewater system and the impacts of microplastics through Environment Outreach & Education Officer Aanchal’s monthly “Microplastic Minute”. Sign up to our newsletter to read them each month.